As Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth finds himself staring down yet another controversy and more calls from critics to resign, he has a potent ally not just in President Trump, but in Trump’s Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement.
Influential MAGA voices have used their platforms to back Hegseth, who they see as a product of the movement. He is considered a dyed-in-the-wool Trump backer who is attuned to the president on culture war issues. Where critics see a lack of experience, supporters see a government outsider capable of enacting change.
“Much like Trump himself, Hegseth is viewed by the base as a genuine outsider and disrupter,” one longtime Trump adviser told The Hill. “And because of the years he spent on Fox, they feel a real connection with him.”
Hegseth has faced questions from the time of his surprising nomination about his judgment and ability to manage the vast Department of Defense. Those questions have resurfaced following fresh public criticism from his former aides and new revelations about his use of the Signal app to share attack plans with family members.
But the fierce reaction from Trump’s orbit underscores how Hegseth has a connection with the MAGA base like few others in the Cabinet.
“The secretary of Defense is doing a tremendous job, and he is bringing monumental change to the Pentagon,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday.
“And there’s a lot of people in this city who reject monumental change, and I think frankly that’s why we’ve seen a smear campaign against the secretary of Defense since the moment that President Trump announced his nomination,” she added.
When Trump chose Hegseth to lead the Pentagon, MAGA world celebrated the pick. He was a fulfillment of Trump’s pledge to rid the department of “woke” elements and return it to the sort of macho image he desired in the military.
On the campaign trail, Trump would play a video for his rally crowds that featured footage of the film “Full Metal Jacket,” where a drill sergeant yells at enlistees. Those clips were juxtaposed with footage of drag performers and other images intended to argue the military had gone “woke” under the Biden administration.
Hegseth has followed through in the early months of the administration, moving to reinstate a ban on transgender troops serving in the military and rescinding a Biden administration policy that reimbursed service members who had to travel to other states for abortions.
Numerous lawmakers, including some Republicans, were skeptical that someone with no government experience was up to the job of running the Pentagon, which has a budget of nearly $1 trillion and more than 2 million employees between service members and civilians.
Hegseth’s nomination process was marked by allegations of sexual misconduct and excessive drinking early in the confirmation process.
But when Hegseth’s chances appeared imperiled, influential MAGA voices rose up to pressure GOP senators to fall in line, with Vice President Vance, Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, Donald Trump Jr. and conservative media outlets turning up the heat on skeptics like Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.).
Hegseth himself went on a media offensive and was ultimately confirmed by the narrowest of margins, with Vance breaking a 50-50 tie to get him across the finish line.
Last month, administration officials, including Hegseth, were scrutinized after The Atlantic’s editor was added to a Signal chat discussing planned military strikes against the Houthis. While some Trump allies were critical of national security adviser Mike Waltz, Kirk warned of consequences if anyone “dare lay a hand on Pete Hegseth.”
MAGA World has again rallied to Hegseth’s side this week as he faces criticism from a former top spokesperson and new reporting that he shared sensitive military plans in a Signal chat with his wife, brother and attorney.
Trump Jr. dismissed an opinion piece from John Ullyot, who resigned last week as a top Pentagon spokesperson and warned of chaos unfolding under Hegseth’s leadership, saying Ullyot was “not America First.” Ullyot served in the first Trump administration as well.
“I’ve been hearing for years that he works his ass off to subvert my father’s agenda,” Trump Jr. posted on X. “That ends today. He’s officially exiled from our movement.”
Sen. Jim Banks (R-Ind.), a staunch Trump ally who has backed Hegseth, said in a statement to The Hill that the country is "safer and more prepared than it ever was under Joe Biden."
Hegseth himself has returned to the playbook that helped save his nomination in the first place, mounting an aggressive pushback campaign against the latest criticisms. Hegseth admonished the media during a gaggle with reporters at the White House Easter Egg Roll on Monday, and on Tuesday went on “Fox & Friends” to go on the attack and play to the president and the base.
“We're focused on recruiting, on rooting out DEI, on securing our southwest border, on the president's agenda,” Hegseth said. “And it's going very well at the Pentagon, and I'm proud of it.”
Trump’s first international trip
The president and first lady Melania Trump will head to Rome this weekend to pay their respects to Pope Francis at his funeral on Saturday. The pontiff died Monday morning at age 88.
It will mark the first time since taking office for his second that Trump will travel overseas, and it will be a rare jaunt for the president somewhere other than one of his properties.
Trump enjoys attending gatherings of world leaders and being seen among other high-powered officials, such as when he attended the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral in France at President Emmanuel Macron’s invitation.
It was previously thought Trump’s first international trip of his second term would come next month when he will go to the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. The White House said Tuesday that trip would take place May 13-16.
One wrinkle to watch is which media outlets will travel with the president to Rome. The White House has taken control of the press pool that covers the president, including a shake-up to seating for reporters aboard Air Force One.
But international trips are more logistically complex and expensive than weekend travel to Florida, and the quick turnaround could create additional headaches if the White House is set on bringing its preferred reporters along for the journey.
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